Youth Narrative Storytelling Project (PTC)

Based in Suva, the capital city of Fiji, the Pacific Theological College (PTC) is a unique institution. The college is an ecumenical theological college offering academic programs since 1965, serving the churches of the Pacific Islands. PTC offers a complete range of academic programs in theology and related disciplines ranging from pre-degree to post-degree programs, as well as distance education.

Pacific Theological College (PTC) and its ecumenical pacific partners have launched a new project which aims to equip and train youth on defining their own narrative around the themes of political rights and security, climate change, gender-based violence, and the role of the church in social change in the Pacific.  

PTC recognizes that in many ways the Pacific Islands have been and continue to be exploited by global forces. Given this, it is important for young future leaders in the Pacific to learn to “tell a different story” about the Pacific. Young people, when given the skills and tools to understand and analyze policy, are able to raise their voices in advocacy for their community.

This project focuses on building the capacity of young people to gather and learn the story of their community and to communicate it effectively. In the first year of the project, 24 teens, 12 young men, and 12 young women will attend a series of workshops on narrative documentation and video communication. They will be provided with mentors and the necessary equipment and resources for this work. The participants will go into 12 communities around Fiji to research and document stories. Each will listen for stories around the themes of political rights and security, climate change, gender-based violence, and the role of the church in social change.

The goal for the first year of the project is for the Pacific Theological College to produce at least two thirty-minute documentaries. Once screened and distributed, these documentaries can be used for further discussion and exploration of the topics of political rights and security, climate change, gender-based violence, and the role of the church in social change in the Pacific.